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The return of the polar vortex?

Just two weeks after it brought an arctic cold snap to two-thirds of the country, the infamous polar vortex is poised to return.

According to AccuWeather, the return of the bitterly cold air could even rival that of early January in some areas. If early forecasts are right, the sequel to the polar vortex has the potential to be stronger than the first.

Meteorologists see near- or sub-zero temperatures from the northern Plains to parts of the Midwest with more lasting cold in the Northeast. The interior South may see “noteworthy episodes” of cold. Most notably is the increase possibility of snow storms.

“We could have a storm slice out of the South Central states and into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast that puts down snow,” Senior Accuweather Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

As Accuweather points, deep snow cover will make the cold more severe by acting as an insulator to the warming effects of the grounds.

The Weather Channel agreed that an arctic blast would return over the week but stopped short of calling it as a “polar vortex.” Regardless of what it is called, they still call for a week of shivering ahead of many area east of the Rocky Mountains. Click here for more from The Weather Channel.

The last plunge of wintry blast swept through the nation’s midsection in early January, pushing temperatures across the region well below zero. Temperatures plummeted -19 degrees F in Fargo, N.D., and -11 degrees F in Chicago.

Even the air temperature at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica was a comparable -11 degrees F.